Abstract:

In this theoretical paper the issues and challenges of the Eco-School Movement in Germany in connection with the implementation of educational reforms at national level as well as international influences are reported. The current discussion about ESD curriculum development leads to a new vision of the promotion of sustainability literacy for teacher education and in schools.

The great challenges of our age incorporate issues directly and indirectly connected to the environment. Examples of direct challenges are environmental quality and biodiversity changes and the need for responses to global climate change. Other challenges are energy efficiency and the need for adequate responses to a carbon-constrained world, resource use and the limitation of natural resources, natural hazards, earthquakes, fires, and droughts. What is it important to know and value, and how to act to overcome the challenges related to the environment? What should teachers teach children and adolescents? Asking these questions opens doorways to reflect about concepts of environmental literacy and sustainability literacy.
In this theoretical paper an overview of the historical development of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) based on international and national reforms is given. This process is strongly connected with the Eco-School movement in Germany and based on reform processes in the educational sector. Next the roots of the German conceptions of ESD based on Environmental Education, Global Education, and Transformative Learning is given. Based on these considerations the current development and the actual debate on curriculum development and the impact of Eco-School movement are reported.

Education should trigger the process of a lasting learning process that empowers and encourages citizens´ life and participation in social transformation. Target is that citizens are aware to be an important part of communities, of local, national, European and social society to contribute to democratic design processes. This requires orientation and education that enables the development of the necessary basic skills. To put these ideas into practice, in 2016, the German Curricular Framework for the Global Development Learning (OR) / Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) was launched (Schreiber & Siege 2016). The framework is based on the results of the joint project of the Standing Conference of the German Ministers of Education and Culture (KMK) and the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The OR comprises approaches of UNESCO Textbooks For Sustainable Development (UNESCO & MGIEP 2017) and experiences from the National Strategy “From the project to the structure” following the UN Decade 2005-2014. It supports institutional and civil society actors in the implementation of the goals and recommendations of the National Action Plan (2015-2019) especially in the field of education.

These considerations lead to a new vision of future learning to promote sustainability literacy in schools and teacher education in Germany. Examples of the German federal state Bremen are given, which demonstrate the close cooperation of teacher education, schools and school administration to promote ESD.

Keywords:

Education for Sustainable Development, Curricular Reforms, Eco-Schools, Global Learning, Sustainability Literacy.